Feeling nosy, Haustin ambled through Yael's massive apartment. The place felt empty to begin with, but it reminded him of a tomb without her there. Or maybe it was the sparse, open space he didn't like. The hardwood floors warmed it some, but he preferred older homes, the kind with personality. Not to mention, she didn't have any personal touches; no pictures or trinkets women were so fond of.

After lifting weights in the home gym, he showered and changed before snagging a few slices of banana bread from the kitchen. Jesus, Yael knew how to bake. He wished she'd do something with her talent instead of working for Malkah Enterprises. The place wasn't right for her. Her anxiety was only increasing. Whenever they spent time together, she shared another story about something that happened at work, a random detail that had her on edge.

Being apart from Yael screwed with his mind, and he found himself wondering where she was, what she was doing, when he'd see her again. All because of how good he felt around her and how his cravings for pharmaceuticals lessened. He knew it bordered on an unhealthy dependence, but without her, the bleak reality of life tempted him to self-medicate once more. So, instead of dwelling, he ignored the fine line he walked with her and how dangerous it was, for him and for her. Problem was, the better he felt, the more his past plagued him.

A memory surfaced, not of Yael, but of Lindsey and their first Thanksgiving as a married couple. Despite their high hopes, neither of them had known how to cook a turkey, and the attempt had ended in a smoke-filled kitchen and a charbroiled bird. The smell had lingered for weeks afterward. Lindsey's face danced before him, laughing, and his gut clenched so violently he had to grab onto the counter. They'd had so much love and promise back then, such innocence. He stumbled out of Yael's, unsteady and trailed by regret.

The feelings stayed with him the entire way to Lindsey's, mixing with his indecision over how to break the news about Yael. He'd avoided it all week, and now he had no choice, which turned it into a dick move on his part. She let him in the house, her hopeful smile making his insides to grind together.

"The kids are excited to spend the day with you," she said.

"Luna? Excited?"

Lindsey laughed. "As much as she can be." She lowered her voice. "Her bark is worse than her bite."

Haustin cleared his throat. "Look, Linds, there's something I have to tell you. I, uh, won't be the only one there today."

"What do you mean?" The twinkle in her pretty hazel eyes never dimmed.

Seconds ticked by as he grasped desperately for words. Finally, he just blurted, "I met someone, a woman. She'll be there."

"What?" The outburst came from Luna, who'd chosen that exact moment to walk into the living room with her brother. She glanced back and forth between him and Lindsey, her mouth agape. "Seriously? No. Nuh-uh. No way. I don't want to meet Dad's new girlfriend," she declared before stomping to her room with red cheeks and hunched shoulders. Lindsey threw him a veiled look and followed, leaving him in silence with Miles.

Haustin wracked his brain for anything to say to fix his blunder as he collapsed onto the couch. The announcement did not go as planned; he should have done it sooner, in private. Either way, someone got hurt. Tact had never been counted among his strengths. He didn't have the slightest idea how to do this—introducing his kids to a woman who wasn't their mother—kind of like tiptoeing through a field of land mines.

Miles sat beside him, picking at the frayed hem of his shorts. "Yankees did pretty awesome last night."

His son's voice startled him, causing him to say, "I didn't think you were into sports."

"Just because I'm not good at them doesn't mean I don't like to watch," Miles grumbled.

"Sorry. I'm nervous. Don't you have an objection, or questions?" Haustin bounced his leg impatiently, growing restless under Miles's scrutiny as he took in his hopping limb, even his freshly shaved face.

"New clothes?"

Haustin glanced down at the cargo pants and scowled. "The pants are."

"You have a girlfriend?"

"Um," Haustin cleared his throat, "I do, yeah."

"How'd you meet her?"

Haustin searched for the right words, unsure of what to say. "It's kind of hard to explain. I met her before you were born. On September 11th."

Lindsey reappeared in the living room and must have heard the tail end of their conversation, but her expression remained impassive. He couldn't lose the happy image he'd had of her earlier and found himself having a hard time meeting her stare, especially after the bomb he dropped about Yael.

"Luna will be ready in a minute."

"She okay?" he asked.

The question caused her to cock her head. "She'll be fine. It's a bit of a shock."

"I know, I'm sorry. I could have handled the news better than waltzing in and announcing it." He stood. "She deserved a warning. You all did."

"I'm a big girl, Haus." Sad lines bracketed her mouth. "Besides, we're past surprising each other. It was bound to happen to one of us sooner or later. I just didn't know you were looking."

Damn. Lindsey had already experienced a lifetime worth of pain thanks to him. He had so many things to say to her to apologize for, but Luna sauntered into the room with her arms folded across her chest.

"Ready?"

His daughter pinned him with a cold stare and nodded. Haustin ruffled Miles' hair. "Why don't you two wait in the truck? I'll be out in a sec."

Once they were gone, he turned to Lindsey and opened his mouth to explain, but she beat him to it. "What did you mean when you told Miles you met this woman on 9/11? Is this the person you saw a couple weeks ago?"

"Yeah. The woman I saved."

He didn't need to say more. She knew the story, he'd told her during one of his blitzed nights, shouting the entire grisly experience to her. Until now, it had never been brought up again.

"After all this time you saw her? Is that even possible?" Doubt softened her tone.

"I entertained the idea it might be some kind of cruel mind trick. It's not." Pain danced through her expression, and she focused on the empty space over his shoulder. "Look, Linds, I don't want to hurt you anymore. Just thought you'd appreciate honesty from me for once."

"Why? So I can hear about the woman you've thought about for years?"

Her jab nailed him in the chest with a sharp pang. "If it helps, those thoughts were never romantic until I saw her again. It wasn't like that. You were who I thought about, dreamt about."

Lindsey's eyes widened in surprise. "Me?"

"Well, yeah." He fumbled for the right words. "Know what I remembered this morning? Our first Thanksgiving. A burned beyond recognition turkey and smoke alarms blaring like crazy."

"We ended up ordering Chinese and eating it in our coats because we had to open all the windows to the house," Lindsey said, her eyes moist.

"That's a good memory."

"We have a lot of history."

"We do. I was an asshole to you and you didn't deserve it. No one should have to suffer the way you did, but that was all my fault. Problem is, I'm not the man you ruined a turkey with anymore, the one who cried with you when our children were born. I think he's buried with the rest of the 343."

"You're not as gone as you might think." She brushed impatiently at a tear. "I've waited to hear your apology for years, but I didn't expect it come under these circumstances."

"What circumstances?"

"You finding someone else." Her simple words nearly undid him. Once again, he opened his mouth to try and put words to the longing and sadness swirling through him, but she was too quick. "The idea of either of us moving on rattled me."

"You deserve a hell of a lot better than what I gave you."

Those were the safest words he dared speak while staring at her sad, beautiful face. With his heart begging to stay behind, he walked out the door. A tentative bridge had formed between them, one that led towards healing. He'd never make up for his awful deeds, but Lindsey should have closure. It was the greatest gift he could give her. Tucking Lindsey and the unsettling emotions trying to take over aside, he concentrated on the kids. Today was about rebuilding his relationship with them. Haustin just hoped including Yael didn't do more damage than good.

He climbed into the truck and started it. Luna reached over and flipped the radio to a pop station. They rode in silence for a while, except for the whiny guy singing, before she asked her first question. Haustin hid a smirk. It was only a matter of time.

"So, this chick, Miles said you met her on 9/11? I didn't think you had time to run around asking for numbers."

The image she created struck him as disturbingly funny, and he forced himself not to laugh. In the rearview mirror, though, his son also tried to swallow his reaction. Another revelation hit him, like father, like son. Huh. This was the first time he'd found humor in that day. Must be a good sign.

He addressed his daughter. "Very funny, smartass. I saved her life. Spent a scary hour together. I always wondered about her, what happened to her. Then, a few days ago, I saw her again."

"Wow. Sounds familiar. Like a dumb Hollywood romance movie," she drawled out sarcastically.

"I guess it does." He wiggled his eyebrows in her direction. "Never considered myself leading man material."

Luna rolled her eyes. "What's her name?"

"Yael Malkah."

Haustin mentally kicked himself for saying the whole name. He had hoped the kids would get to know her first, without learning where she came from. Miles picked up on the significance right away.

"Malkah? Like Malkah Enterprises Enterprises? Their crane fell and crashed into the street. I saw it on the news."

"That's her. She only recently went back to work."

He felt Luna's eyes on him and snuck a glance at her. Her face wore an incredulous expression. "Everyone knows who her family is. And she's dating you? What's wrong with her?"

"Hey, I can be charming when I want." They rewarded him with two loud coughs. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys. Look, all I ask is for you to give her a chance, keep an open mind."

No one said anything for a couple blocks, and he fretted over whether he'd crossed a line. Maybe he shouldn't have told them who she was or that they were dating. Wiping a hand over his face, he felt Luna staring again.

"What?"

"You're smiling, Dad. It's weird and gross. You're like, forty. You're too old for a girlfriend."

ITS WEIRD AND GROSS.